Despite a few hiccups with a buckled wheel and one exploding tyre, the musical caterpillar made its grand comeback at yesterdays Alice Desert Festival street parade.

First seen in the 2010 parade, this amazing mobile sound sculpture hasn't been seen much around Alice Springs since then.

But this year, its been well utilised with kids from the Centralian Senior College learning a suprrising range of skills, not least of which is drumming.

Mark Gooley, one of the artists-in-residence on the project, says students learnt everything from angle-grinding to painting.

"We had a big range of kids, kids who have never done any metal work before, kids who have never drummed before...it's let them get involved in a big range of things that they wouldn't normally do," he says.

"It was a bit scary at the start, but then I got the hang of it," she says.

Shontal Klose and Svetlana Bunic from rhythm education unit 'Ba-Boom!' have been working with the kids for six weeks, teaching them an arrangement on West African drums, which was then transferred to a range of 'instruments' including old chlorine drums, wheel hubs and fire extinguishers.

But the 'thongaphones' were the standout for Shontal.

"They're pvc pipes, different lengths and different diameters and they're all tuned to each other, so the way they're cut and the diameters create the tuning, and we use these big rubber instruments that sort of look very fat thongs and the kids strike those and they create a beautiful full sound," she says.

"Rythm is very infectious," adds Svet.

"Through working on the drums in the classroom and then taking all that information and applying it [to the Yeperenye], it's been really quite a joyful experience."

"I'm really happy to see it back on the road, I think it's awesome," says builder and designer Dan Murphy.

"I love the way that it takes so many people to make it work, a lot of different people have to come together and work as a team...and it doesn't matter how many skills you've got, everyone can be involved."

Helping to push the caterpillar along the mall was Alice Springs custodian Andrew Stevens, who points to the East MacDonnell Ranges visible from the council lawns and says his grandfather told him the story of the Yeperenye.

Andrew is from the same clan as well known Alice Springs custodian, Doris Stuart, who Dan says he worked closely with from the very beginning of the project.

"One of the things [Doris] likes to say about it is [that] the yeperenyes, they come out in all different colours, they've all got a different pattern on them...but they all work together, just like [Doris] wants the Arerndte people, and white people and everyone who lives in Alice Springs all to work together with respect and harmony."

The caterpillar was certainly a huge hit with onlookers, with plenty of tourists taking the opportunity to get their photo snapped with it at the end of the parade.

Local nurse, Nizy Varghese, brought her mum to see the parade.

"My mum jas just come from India and she's just seeing Alice Springs for the first time and she's really enjoying it," she says.

"The caterpillar is one of those main things that's always related with Aboriginal dreamings and things like that...it's great, it's really nice."

See the caterpillar next to the Big Top at Snow Kenna Park throughout the Alice Desert Festival.

(Support for the project included the Centre for Appropriate Technology, Tangentyere Council, Australia Council, Arts NT and the Hidden Valley community centre.)